I have, in the past, found school patches (or crests that look like school crests) at Army Surplus stores. I don't know why they had them, but they had a bin of army / military patches, and some school crests thrown in.

A "rolled hem" on a serger usually refers to a really narrow, really close line of stitching that encases the cut edge. It looks like a very thin band of satin stitching - where there is no space between the threads.

Rostitchery - this is why I still kick myself, that I didn't run back and buy 20 m of the fabric! I think I have enough left to make a corset, a bag and then tiny bits which I will use as surprise lining for little bags.

My thoughts on the pattern: its not very well designed... I hated the way they put the zipper in last. I think that makes the dress look very homemade. If you are already lining the bodice, why not just make a skirt lining, attach to the bottom of the bodice lining, insert the zipper, and fold the edges of the lining to the inside, and slipstich along the zipper? That would finish it really nicely... But, i didn't really read all the instructions before I began...

I had to do quite a lot of alterations for this (and I just wanted to make a quick summer dress...) I am extremely short waisted (2 " less than the 16" long for my size) and small boobed (34A). So i decided to make size 10, even though it recommends it for a bust of 32.5, because it has 3" of ease. That is about 1-2" larger than I am, and I decided that I would like a halter dress to fit fairly snug. I folded out about an inch of length through the bust as I am only an A cup (patterns are drafted for a B cup), then I cleaned up the side seams, and altered the waist piece to increase from a 25" waist up to fit my 28" waist (actually only added 1" as the pattern had 2" of waist ease). I made a quick mock up of the bodice pieces from the lining cause I knew the back would have been mucked about because of the shortening. It fit well but I decided to improve the visuals by raising the back by 1", and also to make the armhole smaller

I also left the neck strap as long as possible, and didn't alter length until the whole thing was finished.

I made it up, and as I was gathering the skirt, was thinking that this was too much fabric and that I hate gathered skirts. The fabric is stiff, so I stuck out quite unattractively... I should have listened to my gut which said circle skirt.

Around 8 years ago, I saw this fabric in Ikea, and became OBSESSED with it.

I bought 2.5 metres of it, and swiftly made a little wrap apron style wrap dress that I had designed in my brain, pencilled out, and then found a Vogue Anna Sui pattern that looked almost exactly like what I drew, so I bought that, and stitched it up. I called it the Babyhead dress, for reasons I can't remember why, even though there is only one baby in the print.

I was so obsessed with this fabric that the next week I ran back to Ikea and bought 5 more metres of the stuff. And folded it nicely, and put it in a trunk. Where it stayed for the next 8 years.

Fast forward to 2006, and I feel like sewing, and I want a 1950s style summer halter dress with a circle skirt. Suddenly think of the babyhead print.

I had to do quite a lot of pattern adjusting as I am extremely short waisted (about 2" shorter in nape to waist length than the pattern) and also of very little boobage. I also cut a circle skirt instead of using the gathered skirt as I find they are way more flattering.

Incidently, here is the apron dress from 8 years ago.... i was a little sluttier....